SOUVENIR

06.02.14

For Sale: Civil War Soldier's Skull

Who wants the skull of a Civil War soldier for their mantel? On Tuesday, an auction house was planning to sell the human remains of a soldier, but canceled the sale after outrage. The skull was found on Benner Farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1949 (and a nearby breastplate that came from a Confederate unit), and had been expected to fetch between $50,000 and $250,000 in the sale, believed to be the first of its kind. The spokeswoman for Gettysburg National Military Park called the auction "a spectacle" and called for it to be placed in the cemetery, which the auctioneer later agreed to, saying it would be given to the park as a gift for a proper funeral and burial.